CNN – National

By Evan McMorris-Santoro and Elizabeth Stuart, CNN An Arkansas judge temporarily blocked the enforcement of the state’s law banning mask mandates in schools on Friday in response to lawsuits filed by a school district and parents who want schools to be able to require masks if they choose to. The preliminary injunction was issued by

By Dakin Andone and Deidre McPhillips, CNN Florida reported 134,506 new Covid-19 cases over the last week on Friday, more than any other 7-day period during the pandemic. Data published Friday by the state health department shows the state, which releases Covid-19 data on a weekly basis, reported an average of 19,215 cases each day.

By Dakin Andone, CNN Five children between the ages of 2 and 9 were killed in a fire early Friday in East St. Louis, Illinois, according to fire officials. The fire broke out at an apartment building at 29th and State streets shortly before 3 a.m., CNN affiliate KMOV reported. Fire Chief Jason Blackmon confirmed

By Ray Sanchez, CNN Duston Van Balen took a road trip with his family and a wooden urn containing the ashes of a man he considered a brother, with stops at the Grand Canyon in Arizona and Zion National Park in southwest Utah. It’s been nearly a year since Albert Aguirre, 40, was found dead

By Alexandra Meeks and Dakin Andone, CNN A major California hydroelectric power plant has been forced to shut down due to low water levels for the first time since it opened in 1967, officials said Thursday, as the state grapples with an unrelenting drought. The decision to shut down the Edward Hyatt Power Plant at

By Camille Furst, CNN The Coast Guard on Thursday offloaded the largest amount of illegal narcotics in its history. The Cutter James crew in Port Everglades, Florida, had seized 59,700 pounds of cocaine and 1,430 pounds of marijuana, worth more than $1.4 billion, according to a news release. Vice Admiral Steven Poulin, the commander of

By Dominic Rech, CNN A venomous West African banded cobra has been missing in a Texas neighborhood since Tuesday. Here’s what you need to know to Get Up to Speed and On with Your Day. (You can also get “5 Things You Need to Know Today” delivered to your inbox daily. Sign up here.) 1.

By Mallika Kallingal and Andy Rose, CNN Prosecutors in Idaho are planning to seek the death penalty in the murder case against Chad Daybell, according to a court document filed Thursday. Daybell is accused of conspiring with his current wife, Lori Vallow, to murder two of her children and his first wife. He has pleaded

By Alta Spells, CNN Former Houston Astros pitcher J.R. Richard died at age 71, according to a statement from the team on Thursday. “Today is a sad day for the Houston Astros as we mourn the loss of one of our franchise icons,” the Astros said. A member of the club’s Hall of Fame, Richard’s

By Rebekah Riess and Gregory Lemos, CNN An Atlanta Police Department sergeant has been fired following a department investigation into a social media video showing the sergeant kicking a woman in her head, according to a release from APD. Sgt. Marc Theodule’s actions violated department policy, APD said, and determined he acted outside of APD

By Andy Rose and Mallika Kallingal, CNN Six people are dead after a sightseeing plane crashed in southeast Alaska on Thursday, according to the US Coast Guard. “An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Sitka located the wreckage at 2:37 p.m. and lowered two rescue swimmers who reported no survivors,” the Coast

By Lauren M. Johnson, CNN The Washington Football Team has released its new fan protocol ahead of the 2021 season and the organization announced fans will no longer be allowed to wear Native American-inspired headdresses and face paint into the stadium. That attire had been tradition for fans of the team, formerly known as the

By Andy Rose and Amir Vera, CNN A former high school custodian in Medford, Oregon, is accused of attempted 2nd degree murder and other criminal charges after police say he “made significant steps to carry out a mass casualty event.” Kristopher Clay, 24, is being held in the Jackson County Jail on $2 million bail

By Miguel Marquez, Dakin Andone and Meridith Edwards, CNN Joan Chang, 42, is 33 weeks pregnant with her second child. But it wasn’t until last week that she got her first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine. Chang, who works in the banking industry, has been working from her home in Gardendale, Alabama, since last year